Educational Science

Cells age prematurely in those with depression, study suggests

Depression may accelerate aging at the cellular level and lead to premature death, according to a new study. Major depressive disorder (MDD) has previously been found to be a risk factor for many different aging-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease and osteoporosis; it's also been associated with early mortality....

Scientists Discover 4 Distinct Patterns of Aging

Some people's hearts stay strong well into their 60s, but their kidneys begin to fail. Others may have the kidneys of a 30-year-old but fall victim to constant infection. Now, scientists may be one step closer to understanding why the aging process varies so drastically between people. Even within a...

Two sisters in Japan have been declared the world's oldest identical twins, at age 107, according to news reports. The sisters, Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama, were born on Nov. 5, 1913, making them 107 years and 300-plus days old, according to the Associated Press. That breaks the previous record...

Could a Drug Cocktail Reverse Biological Aging?

You can't do anything about your chronological age, but it might be possible to turn back the clock on biological age, a small new study suggests. The study found that a drug regimen appeared to reverse biological age, as measured by changes to DNA that accumulate as we get older....

Gene Tweak Can Extend Life 500% (But You Have to Be a Worm)

By tweaking a few key genes in the DNA of a roundworm, scientists have extended the animal's life span by about 500%. That's a huge jump in life: An average roundworm lives for about three to four weeks. But when unencumbered of two specific genes — DAF-2 and RSKS-1 —...

Will humans ever be immortal?

If you are human, you are going to die. This isn't the most comforting thought, but death is the inevitable price we must pay for being alive. Humans are, however, getting better at pushing back our expiration date, as our medicines and technologies advance. If the human life span continues...

Natural rates of aging are fixed, study suggests

No matter how hard you try, it might be difficult to slow down aging, a depressing new study suggests. Across a range of primate species, including humans, aging rates are mostly determined by biological factors, not environmental ones. What's more, the rate of aging is mostly consistent within a primate...

New Anti-Aging Clinical Trial Begins. For $1 Million, You Can Be a Participant.

An American biotech company has launched clinical trials in Colombia to test a new therapy designed to reverse the aging process, and in turn, treat age-related diseases, according to news reports. But to steal a sip from this purported fountain of youth, participants in the trial must first fork over...

This Is the Age Where Life Has the Most Meaning

Wondering what the meaning of life is? Good news — you'll probably feel like you know when you're around age 60. That's the age when people report feeling that there's the most meaning in their lives, and they have the least need to search for meaning, according to new research...